1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a shift lever device having a switch provided on a knob thereof and, more particularly, to a shift lever device adapted to fit a terminal of a switch to a conductor wire provided on the shift lever to carry out electrical connection.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional shift lever device is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Provisional Utility Model Publication (Kokai) No. S62-21420. This conventional shift lever device comprises a conductor wire provided in a shift lever to which a switch terminal is fitted to perform electrical connection. FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b) show sectional views of this conventional shift lever device.
In the conventional shift lever device shown in FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b), a conductor wire 3 is inserted in a direction of the arrow A shown in FIG. 5(a) into a skeleton section 22 of a knob 2, and the conductor wire 3 at one end 31 is fitted with a terminal 41 of a switch 4, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), thereby providing electrical connection. The portion denoted by reference character 24 is a recessed portion, in which the wall is removed from the skeleton section 22, so that the tip of the terminal 41 fitted with the conductor wire 3 is prevented from being abutted against the skeleton section 22. Also, the portion represented by reference character 25 is a groove through which the conductor wire 3 is guided to the recessed portion 24. The recessed portion 24 and the groove 25 are both formed when forming the skeleton section 22.
In the conventional shift lever device, however, the conductor wire 3 may be retracted, for example, from a position shown by the dashed line B in FIG. 5(a) to a position shown by the solid line C, when assembling the switch 4 onto the knob 2. If the switch 4 is depressed in a direction of the arrow D to fit the terminal 41 to the conductor wire 3 when the conductor wire 3 is retracted, the one end 31 of the conductor wire 3 is deformed into the recessed portion 24, as shown in FIG. 5(a), thus making normal assembly difficult.